CHRISTMAS is not a time of rest for everyone, as footballers up and down the country will check in at their training grounds on Christmas Day, ready for a busy festive period of fixtures.
 
Watford goalkeeper Scott Loach explained that while going to work while the rest of the country enjoy their Christmas dinners isn't everyone's cup of tea, he's actually looking forward to the next few days.
 
He said: "We're in on Christmas Day morning, but it should be a great laugh, we're all a band of brothers here so I'm sure they'll be a lot of banter flying around and someone will come in dressed as Santa!
 
"It's definitely hard working through Christmas and while pretty much everyone else is enjoying their holidays while we have two games in three days, so it's busy times for footballers, but we end up having our Christmas in the summer!
 
"We get time off in the summer when we're all on holiday and everyone else is having to work in the heat, so I think things do even out in the end!
 
"It's something that comes with the job and you just make the most of it."
 
Then there is the lure of Christmas dinner and all the trimmings to stay away from as the players prepare for their busy festive fixtures.
 
"My Mum is coming down so I'm sure she'll rustle something up for my Christmas lunch but I've told her to keep it quite light! 

"I'll be looking at my Dad and brother eating all they possibility can, but we'll get the games out of the way and I'm sure we'll have a few days off to enjoy ourselves over the Christmas period."

Far from taking the young goalkeeper away from his family this year, football is bringing them all together.
 
"All my extended family are coming to the game against Forest on Boxing Day, and they'll all be sitting in the away end as they are all Forest fans.
 
"I've asked for three points against Forest for Christmas this year! I'd love to win that game, especially as my family support them!

"We're going out for dinner after the match, so it will be great for me to sit there after taking three points from them!"
 
The unpredictable weather conditions this week have meant a slightly disrupted training schedule ahead of the clash at Vicarage Road, but it's business as usual for the Hornets, despite a very wintery London Colney training ground.
 
"This week, the weathers not been ideal, but you still have to get out there and do your training.
 
"I think the lads have been doing a bit of running to keep themselves ticking over, and we goalkeepers can still do volleys and dive around in the snow!"
 

The England U21 stopper has had a whirlwind year and he told www.watfordfc.com he hasn't had a chance to stop and to take in his recent achievements.
 
"I haven't really had a chance to take in everything that's happened to me in 2009 to be honest.
 
"I think that's something I'll do at the end of the season as I haven't really had a rest; I only had two weeks off in the summer, so haven't had much time to reflect.
 
"But if someone told me this time last year what was going to happen with my career, I wouldn't have just bitten their arm off, I'd have eaten them whole!
 
"Hopefully 2010 will see me just keep progressing, getting a consistency to my performances and getting Watford further up the table.
 
"I think my achievements in the last year came from playing more games, so if I can keep that up then more success will come with that."

LET WATFORD BE THE PERFECT HOST